Machine for washing loose materials

ABSTRACT

An improved machine for washing loose materials comprising an outer tub, an inner tub, and tubing for supplying water to said tubs, in which the inner tub is supported in the outer tub by a shaft about which said inner tub can be swung into an upside down position relative to said outer tub, and a power operated device for swinging said inner tub.

United States aterit Nobili 51 Aug.1,1972

253,590 2/1882 Raoul ..134/134 MACHINE FOR WASH-ENG LOQSE MATERIALS Inventor: Pietro Nobili, Via F, Lasagna, 5,

Parma, Italy Filed: Nov. 27, 1970 Appl. No.: 92,988

Foreign Application Priority Data July 18, 1970 Italy ..46891 A/7O US. Cl. ..134/134, 134/120, 134/141,

134/153 llnt. Cl. ..B08lb 3/06 Field of Search ..134/117,120,134,140,141, 134/135,l53,159, 161,198

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,760,511 5/1930 Marvel ..134/161 X 2,734,519 5/1956 Widdowson ..134/135 X 3,338,251 8/1967 Nobili ..134/120 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 697,642 11/1965 ltaly ..134/135 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Bleutge Attorney-Holcombe, Wetherill & Brisebois [5 7] ABSTRACT An improved machine for washing loose materials comprising an outer tub, an inner tub, and tubing for supplying water to said tubs, in which the inner tub is supported in the outer tub by a shaft about which said inner tub can be swung into an upside down position relative to said outer tub, and a power operated device for swinging said inner tub.

1 Claim 4 Drawing Figures MACHINE FOR WASHING LOOSE MATERIALS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Machines for washing loose materials, using warm or cold water, or other suitable liquids, are well-known.

Said machines are particularly advantageous for washing vegetables, meat or fruits in the canning industry or in the kitchens of large institutions.

The well-known machines, such, for example, as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,251, consist essentially of two tubs, the bottoms of which have a cylindrical outline, mounted one inside the other so as to form a gap of decreasing section therebetween, the smallest section of which preferably lies in the common vertical diametral plane of the two tubs, or is situated in the immediate neighborhood of said plane.

The inner tub is defined by a peripheral wall, whose bottom has a semi-cylindrical outline, whereas its left side is preferably vertical and its right side slopes smoothly towards the inner portion of the machine, so as to cooperate with the bottom to impart a whirling motion to the liquid supplied tangentially to the vertical wall. In the semi-cylindrical bottom of the inner tub perforations are formed adjacent the smallest section of the gap, so that debris separated from the material that is being washed, and carried to that point by the whirling motion of the liquid, is rapidly ejected.

The outer tub has a semi-cylindrical bottom and vertical sidewalls, and is provided water inlets, devices for draining of the liquid from the bottom and devices for adjusting the water-flow. In particular, the flow of water in the outer tub assures the clearance of the intertub gap.

Altogether, these machines serve the purpose for which they are designed regardless of the sizes in which they may be constructed in order to meet different requirements. With the largest machines, however, it has become necessary to facilitate the unloading of the material once the washing is over. In fact, without suitable devices for this purpose, such machines can only be unloaded with difficulty, owing to the large quantity and weight of the material to be handled.

The present application relates to improvements in the aforesaid machines, so as to allow the automatic unloading of the washed material. These improvements consist in separating two tubs from each other and in supplying devices for connecting them together in such a way as to permit the inner tub to be turned over and cause the material contained therein to fall into a suitable container, which may be stationary or mobile. An object of the invention is to provide mechanical devices capable of turning said inner container over.

According to the invention, this can be accomplished in different ways, all having a basic common feature, that of connecting the two tubs together so as to provide one of them with one or more degrees of freedom with respect to the other. These predetermined degrees of freedom permit mechanically actuated independent movements which cooperate to turn the inner tub over in a convenient position. In particular, the inner tub can be fastened to the outer tub with a simple hinge or by means of connecting rods or slides or with a combination of these devices.

The features and the advantages of the invention will become more apparent from a reading of the following detailed description, of a preferred embodiment of the machine, given purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevational view of the machine showing the overturned position of the inner tub in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the vertical axis of the machine;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through a second embodiment of the machine; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along the line A--A of FIG. 3.

The machine as shown in the aforesaid figures comprises a fixed outer tub 1, including a drain pipe 2 for the waste, a handwheel-controlled cutoff valve 3 for adjusting the flow of water, an overflow pipe 4 connected to the water recycling pump 5, and an upper peripheral pipe 6 with a plurality of perforations in its bottom, through which clean water delivered from the outside flows in. The outer tub also comprises a pipe 7 for admitting water delivered by the pump connected to a similar pipe 8 attached to the inner tub.

The pipe 8 feeds a nozzle 10 which delivers the washing water tangentially into the tub 9. This tub 9, as described in the patent previously mentioned, comprises a metal sheet 11, defining a rectangular frame and resting on its top region so as to close the upper part of the gap 12 between the two tubs. This frame has a central rectangular opening 13, the innermost edge 14 of which is funnel-shaped to facilitate the introduction of the material. The tub 9 is fastened, by means of a plurality of arms 15, to a supporting shaft 16 which is rotatable and is itself supported by brackets fixed to the tub I. The shaft 16 is rotated by a double-acting airhydraulic cylinder 17 located outside the tub I and connected to a crank 18 fixed to the axis 16.

The air-hydraulic cylinder 17 is independently supplied by a small water powered plant, not visible in the drawings, and is adapted to turn the tub 9 completely over, stopping, if necessary, in an intermediate dripping position 19 before reaching its extreme position 20. For this purpose, the tub 9 has perforations 21 for the discharge of water along its sidewalls, but they do not impair the efficient operation of the bottom perforations 22.

The machine illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 works with an open cycle, with a partial recycling of the washing liquid. In fact the water recycled by the pump 5 and admitted to the inner tub through the nozzle 10 mixes in the gap 12 with the water admitted through the duct 6, which comes from the outside through the pipe 23. The pipe 23 can be fed, through a T connection, with warm water from pipe 25 and cold water from pipe 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be seen that a second embodiment of the machine is shown therein in which the inner tub 9 is supported, by means of arms 27, by a shaft 28 which is mounted for vertical movement, with its ends lifted by two air-hydraulic cylinders 29.

One or more pinions 30, integral to the shaft 28, engage, during the last part of the upward movement, fixed racks 31, thus causing the shaft to rotate and thus swing the tub 9 outward and downward.

The ends of the shaft 28 project from the sidewalls of the outer tub I through two substantially vertical slots 32, within which they are carried by suitable bearings 33.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of the embodiments hereinbefore described and that modifications and improvements can be .made therein without thereby departing from the basic principles of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved machine for washing loose materials comprising an outer tub, an inner tub, and means for supplying water to said tubs, in which the inner tub is connected to the outer tub by means permitting said inner tub to be swung into an upside-down position relative to said outer tub, said connecting means comprising a horizontal shaft fixed to said'inner tub and supported by said outer tub for vertical sliding movement relative to said outer tub, said shaft having a pinion fixed thereto and said outer tub having a rack attached thereto which engages said pinion during the upper part of its vertical movement, and power means for swinging said inner tub, said power means comprising at least one fluid-operated jack supported on said outer tub and connected to vertically reciprocate said shaft, whereby actuation of said fluid operated jack lifts said shaft and thereby causes rotation thereof when said pinion engages saidrack. 

1. An improved machine for washing loose materials comprising an outer tub, an inner tub, and means for supplying watEr to said tubs, in which the inner tub is connected to the outer tub by means permitting said inner tub to be swung into an upside-down position relative to said outer tub, said connecting means comprising a horizontal shaft fixed to said inner tub and supported by said outer tub for vertical sliding movement relative to said outer tub, said shaft having a pinion fixed thereto and said outer tub having a rack attached thereto which engages said pinion during the upper part of its vertical movement, and power means for swinging said inner tub, said power means comprising at least one fluid-operated jack supported on said outer tub and connected to vertically reciprocate said shaft, whereby actuation of said fluid operated jack lifts said shaft and thereby causes rotation thereof when said pinion engages said rack. 